Hoofd, in profiel 1875 - 1934

Curator: This small pencil drawing by Isaac Israels, titled "Hoofd, in profiel," likely created between 1875 and 1934, has a quiet intimacy. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Intimacy is right. It's a whisper of a portrait, really. So sparse, so ephemeral. Like a thought barely captured. It’s like observing a ghost, you know? Curator: I feel that. The emptiness surrounding the head heightens that sense of transience, as if the sitter could vanish at any moment. I mean, look at the economy of line – just enough to suggest form and expression. What intrigues me most is the relationship between this fragile image and the material reality of its making – pencil on paper, mass-produced. How did that relationship evolve? Editor: Yes, think about the pencil itself. Graphite, mined and processed, held in cedarwood... that simple tool enabled Israels to render a face from near-nothingness. I find it fascinating that something so unassuming, such a mundane commodity, could be the catalyst for expressing such delicacy. The act of applying that pencil on this specific kind of paper would bring this drawing together. Curator: The sketch does carry a strong Impressionistic feel with its focus on capturing a fleeting moment or impression. But where does portraiture end and impressionism start? Or did it even occur to Isaac as he made this drawing? Did Isaac intend for us to think deeply of material culture, process and artistic production when all he wanted to do was render the profile of a head on paper? Editor: That's a really good point. Portraiture, and certainly Impressionism, were becoming more democratized during Isaac's time. What's on paper here challenges the preciousness we traditionally associate with portraits while capturing something authentic and very personal. I feel he knew how materials had changed, were changing at the time he made it, and wanted his vision and interpretation on those transformations to shine through. Curator: Yes, he certainly had an interesting artistic vision! Well, perhaps next time we will consider the relationship between drawings, paintings and gender in the Israels oeuvre. Editor: A fascinating artist that made for an intriguing visit, and more to ponder. Thank you!